She seeks the hope in joyful gaze
She longs for peace amid the fray
She speaks her love along the way
She trusts her future through the haze
She creates contentment every day.
poem-decisions February 7, 2024
poem-pondering January 20, 2024
When it is
Where it is
. possibility
Why it is
How it is
. Really- could it be?
What it is
Who it is
. I think maybe
. me.
poem-bringing gifts January 17, 2024
So many criteria
for a deceptively simple task.
Light weight
. useful
. fun
. full to over-flowing with love
Small tokens are all I can
pack in a bag
Only miniscule metaphors for my
immeasurable gratitude.
What gift is enough?
Oh, what can
I bring?
.
.
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This spring I’m off to do a couple of writing retreats and visiting friends and family from my times as a exchange student, yay those many years ago. Since I only travel with a carry-on, regardless of the length of the stay, I have limited room for all the gifts I want to bring. >>sigh<< I’m hoping my trip to the Fabric store will meet assorted needs. Wish me luck!
.
.
.
.
..
poem-cold memories January 16, 2024
When Pluto was a planet
You cleared your neighbourhood
Scooped all the negativity
Flung it to far reaches
You spun in your orbit
So well rounded.
We wanted to come along
But your journey is long
and oh, so cold.
Where you are looking
impacts what you see.
I’m looking at you.
You’re not looking at me.
Now Pluto’s a dwarf planetoid
because it doesn’t bring friends
on its journey,
like staying along is what a
far out, cold planet wants.
Remember when Pluto was a planet
and there was a we.
poem-Quiet words January 15, 2024
There the wind blows
So softly sliding past
Trees,
tremulous,
speak,
susurrus over the snow
. Listen
. Listen
. Listen
Wind whispers wishes
. Be well
. Be well
. Be well.
poem-winter steps January 14, 2024
The hearty souls maintain
their exercise programs
as the temperatures plummet.
–no bad weather
. only bad clothes!
They’ll walk with spike studded boots
. or snowshoes
They slide along on skis
minus five
minus ten
minus fifteen
minus twenty
minus twenty-five
minus thirty
Such dedicated athletes!
I am not so dedicated to fresh air.
I’m dancing in the living room
waving my arms around
sweatin’ to the oldies
getting in my daily steps
while watching warmly from my window
at those hearty cold souls.
poem-winter dusk January 10, 2024
Snowplough scraping as it passes
Candles flickering in evening dim
Snowflakes falling outside our windows
A perfect evening to stay in.
poem-As Once Agreed January 5, 2024
I will write you a poem
full of emotion
. overflowing with good words.
Do you feel it? All I mean
. to say?
Words of longing–
. Oh! The passion!
. Woe. The loss.
I will write you a poem
. then I will hide it
. deep within, where all the
. best poems
. linger.
poem-Checking my Privilege November 27, 2023
Some shriek to preserve history
But ah! Consider the mystery
of that illusion of one side’s victory.
What happened to the voices
silenced by the cruel choices
of the victors? Can we rejoice
that now we all should see
language impacts democracy?
We can create a society
where majority
respects minority
and lifts us to meliority.
Bye Sheila. The end of an era… June 18, 2023
In 2008, I was 44. My kids were grown and gone. I was writing my first novel. I was president of my Rotary Club. I wanted to buy my dream car. In the previous 23 years, hubby had done all vehicle purchases for the family. I hated his boring choices. I wanted a fun, cute car that got amazing fuel economy. So, I saved. I spent $10,000 of my own money on my dream car: A 2000 TDI New Beetle that was dubbed “Sheila the Bug.”
Sheila was quickly adorned with decals of butterflies and flowers. She became a fixture in town. Everyone knew when I was at an event. People spotted me on highways and wrote to ask where I was going. Everyone smiled when they saw her (except the jerk who keyed her in the parking lot of the Delta South Hotel in Calgary or the people whose friends punched them because they didn’t read the sign that she is a “HUG BUG-no punches allowed!” So many little girls eyes lit up as they whispered, “I LOVE YOUR CAR!” She got 1000 km on a tank. I could drive to Calgary and back to the Shuswap on a single tank! What a gal!
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Sheila even hosted a celebrity passenger! In 2014 I picked up Outlander author Diana Gabaldon at the airport to bring her to our local writing conference. When she got into the car, she noticed what was in my bud vase and laughed, “Pocket Jamie gets around!” In my nervous excitement I forgot how to shift gears for a few minutes as we drove through the parking lot! When we were stopped by a paving crew for 20 minutes when we were almost in town, it was the most fun I’d had while stopped by a flagger, as we chatted about what it was like to film her cameo performance in the MacKenzie’s Gathering episode of the Outlander TV show.
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And heavens- I almost forget her ALMOST celebrity passenger! In 2013, we drove by Jamie Fraser himself (that is, Sam Heughan) when he was stranded with his brother on the side of the road in the Trans-Canada Highway as we were going to Calgary! I wrote about that experience here.
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Sheila had 145,000 km when I bought her. We have shared 158,000 km in our 15 years together. We drove as far south as Ellensberg, WA, as far west as Vancouver Island, as far north and east as Stettler AB (not very east or north, really!) I’d aimed to get to 400,000, but it is not to be.
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I have purchased my second car, a 2017 Honda Fit/Honda Jazz. She’s only got 35,000 km. She’ll get a few of Sheila’s decals on her butt in tribute to my first beloved car, so full of character and fun.
Happy trails, Sheila. We’ll miss you.
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Pocket Jamie sat in my bud vase for a decade. He was a promotional item made for the first season of Outlander (which remains the only season I have seen in its entirety. By season 2 they’d made too many changes to Diana’s books for me).
Shawn L. Bird 